UNLV announces hiring of athletic director
UNLV formalized the hiring of athletic director Erick Harper on Monday, effective Jan. 1, university president Keith E. Whitfield announced in a statement.
“Erick has a strong track record in intercollegiate athletics and tremendous passion for our university, our student-athletes, and our coaches,” Whitfield said. “He’s also vested in our community and has a vision for the program that I believe will continue the momentum we’ve built and lead us to new levels of success in all areas of Rebel athletics.”
Harper replaces former athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois, who departed in August for the same position at Missouri. He was subsequently named the interim athletic director, having worked since 2012 in UNLV’s athletic department.
UNLV conducted a national search in the fall before tabbing Harper. He’s worked for 31 years in athletic administration and had previous stops at Kansas State at Arizona.
“It’s a great privilege to serve UNLV as its next Director of Athletics, and I’m thankful to President Whitfield and the search committee for this incredible opportunity,” Harper said in a statement.
“Our department culture will be built on trust, empathy, compassion, care, growth and accountability, and we will have a dedicated team of coaches and staff who are driven to win championships, graduate our student-athletes and help them achieve at the highest level,” he added. “I look forward to further engaging with our community and working with campus colleagues to make Rebel fans proud.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
